Spring at the Chalet School
All the fractiousness around lj recently has made me wonder if there's an award on offer for Most Irritating Person, and the nominations are taking place soon. Or perhaps it's just the spring. I'm reminded of Jo of the Chalet School, when the middles start falling out with each other. Perhaps some people could do with a dose of Madge Bettany's medicine (do you think this was ever routinely dished out in schools?):
Margia and Simone began to clear the books away, and Joey wandered over to the window and stared dismally out at the high fence of withies which cut off the view of the lake…
‘What are you staring at?’ demanded Margia unamiably. ‘You might come and lend a hand instead of gawping out of the window like that at nothing.’
‘ “Gawping” is slang,’ pointed out Joey, somewhat priggishly, it must be confessed. ‘You’re breaking the rules.’
‘You’re so particular yourself!’ fumed Margia, who felt that this was adding insult to injury, and resented it accordingly.
‘You’ve never heard me say “gawp”!’ mentioned Joey self-righteously.
‘I’ve heard you say a dozen worse things!’ retorted Margia. - ‘Oh, Simone!’
For Simone had burst into tears once more.
‘You are so un-kind!’ she sobbed. ‘Always it is me who must do the work - but always!’
‘Oh, for goodness’ sake, stop it!’ groaned Jo. ‘You’re a perfect Niagara yourself, Simone!’
Almost on the words the door opened, and Mademoiselle came in. ‘Simone, why do you then cr-r-r-y?’ she asked dramatically.
‘Je n’en sais rien!’ sobbed Simone.
‘In English, if you please.’
Simone gulped noisily, and then wailed, ‘I do not know!’
‘It’s the spring,’ said Miss Durrant, who had been standing behind her, an interested spectator of all this. ‘She ought to have some sulphur, or something, to cool her down a little.’
At this lively prospect Simone literally howled, bringing Miss Bettany to the spot. She gave the French child short shrift. ‘Off to bed with you!’ she said. ‘A dose of salts will put you right. - Come here, you others. Joey, let me see your tongue.’
Joey obligingly hung it out as far as it would go, and Margia followed her example.
Miss Bettany promptly decided to dose them all round, and went off to superintend the mixing of a big jorum of sulphur, lemon juice, tartaric acid, and one or two other items. At seven o’clock the next morning she made the round of the dormitories, and saw to it herself that every girl took her dose.
‘Filthy muck!’ was Joey’s verdict - unfortunately for her, overheard by Miss Maynard, who promptly awarded her with the whole of ‘Lycidas’ to be repeated before Saturday, on pain of losing the Saturday expedition. The middles, as Juliet later remarked to Gisela, were meeting the rewards for all their sins at once.
Margia and Simone began to clear the books away, and Joey wandered over to the window and stared dismally out at the high fence of withies which cut off the view of the lake…
‘What are you staring at?’ demanded Margia unamiably. ‘You might come and lend a hand instead of gawping out of the window like that at nothing.’
‘ “Gawping” is slang,’ pointed out Joey, somewhat priggishly, it must be confessed. ‘You’re breaking the rules.’
‘You’re so particular yourself!’ fumed Margia, who felt that this was adding insult to injury, and resented it accordingly.
‘You’ve never heard me say “gawp”!’ mentioned Joey self-righteously.
‘I’ve heard you say a dozen worse things!’ retorted Margia. - ‘Oh, Simone!’
For Simone had burst into tears once more.
‘You are so un-kind!’ she sobbed. ‘Always it is me who must do the work - but always!’
‘Oh, for goodness’ sake, stop it!’ groaned Jo. ‘You’re a perfect Niagara yourself, Simone!’
Almost on the words the door opened, and Mademoiselle came in. ‘Simone, why do you then cr-r-r-y?’ she asked dramatically.
‘Je n’en sais rien!’ sobbed Simone.
‘In English, if you please.’
Simone gulped noisily, and then wailed, ‘I do not know!’
‘It’s the spring,’ said Miss Durrant, who had been standing behind her, an interested spectator of all this. ‘She ought to have some sulphur, or something, to cool her down a little.’
At this lively prospect Simone literally howled, bringing Miss Bettany to the spot. She gave the French child short shrift. ‘Off to bed with you!’ she said. ‘A dose of salts will put you right. - Come here, you others. Joey, let me see your tongue.’
Joey obligingly hung it out as far as it would go, and Margia followed her example.
Miss Bettany promptly decided to dose them all round, and went off to superintend the mixing of a big jorum of sulphur, lemon juice, tartaric acid, and one or two other items. At seven o’clock the next morning she made the round of the dormitories, and saw to it herself that every girl took her dose.
‘Filthy muck!’ was Joey’s verdict - unfortunately for her, overheard by Miss Maynard, who promptly awarded her with the whole of ‘Lycidas’ to be repeated before Saturday, on pain of losing the Saturday expedition. The middles, as Juliet later remarked to Gisela, were meeting the rewards for all their sins at once.